Over 100 students sit in to protest for a Fossil Free UCSB

UCSB students this Monday called for peaceful action for their administration. The students of UCSB and members of Fossil Free UC planned a sit in to pressure UC Regent Sherman to stop investing the $2.8 billion that the UC is currently commissioning in fossil fuel companies. This comes just one week before the Regents quarterly meeting. This sit in was set up by Fossil Free UCSB who’s campaign aims to divest from UC’s involvement to support fossil fuel companies and therefore create a more sustainable narrative for UCSB.

Cheadle Hall, an administration building on campus at UC Santa Barbara was filled with over 115 students. A Core Member of Fossil Free UCSB, Claire Wilson, a senior on campus was very excited about the turn out, “We have worked hard over the last four years to gain the support of the student body, many faculty and many other clubs on campus and we are so appreciative to them for showing their solidarity and support.” Their message focuses on the hypocrisy of the UC system investing their finances into fossil fuels while at the same time claiming to be “one of the greenest campuses in the country”.

All Fossil Free UC movements are considered to be controlled and without violence. With previous action, Fossil Free UC has successfully challenged the UC system to divest from $200 million from coal and tar sands.

The UC system has also committed to divesting $150 more million from oil and gas companies with movements in regards to Dakota Access Pipeline earlier this year. This movement of divesting from fossil fuels does not stay at a local California level, for the UC students involved in this project have been able to get almost 720 institutions internationally to withhold and withdraw $5.45 trillion from fossil fuels.